For many years, the use of finger actuated pumps to dispense a broad range of liquid products has become increasingly popular. These systems have been effective, particularly with products which are water based or have very low viscosity. However, as the viscosity of the product increases, the use of these pump sprays have been incapable of providing a wide, uniform, consistent spray pattern.
One of the areas where particular attention has been paid, with no effective resolution being achieved, is in food-related products. In particular, products used to coat surfaces of cooking utensils, such as for baking, frying, sauteing, etc., represent an area in which the need for a wide, uniformly dispersed spray has long existed, without any satisfactory product being achieved.
Typically, the surface of the cooking pot, pan, or other utensil is manually coated with a release agent or is sprayed with a release agent by employing either a squeeze bottle or a low pressure finger actuated pump. However, the use of these prior art spray systems result in the product being dispensed in discontinuous, non-uniform "spits" of product, or in dribbles of product. As a result, a ragged, uneven spray pattern is achieved, which has caused these products to be commercially unacceptable.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,142,003 and 4,163,676 typify the prior art commercially available products which have been completely unsuccessful in satisfying consumer needs. Although non-aerosol, oil-based compositions are detailed in these patents, these patents teach the use of formulations with a squeeze bottle or a non-aerosol, low-pressure, finger-actuated spray bottle. When the teaching of these patents is put into effect, a commercially unacceptable spray is obtained.
Although both of these prior art patents seek to provide a cooking and release spray which dispenses a wide, consistent, dependable, uniformly dispersed spray, the actual application of the teaching found in these prior art patents reveals a spray which is not dependable, delivers small concentrated zones of product and has a spray which spurts or dribbles from the actuator.
In addition to teaching a product which does not possess an optimal formulation for providing a uniformly dispersed spray pattern, these prior art patents also teach away from the present invention by teaching the sole use of low pressure, finger-actuated pumps. Typically, such low pressure pumps operated at delivery pressures of between about 6 and 10 psig.
In order to operate these prior art pumps, the pump must first be primed with product before the spray can be delivered. This is typically achieved by depressing the actuator several times in order to remove the air from the pump body or chamber. The depression of the actuator moves the stem downward which, in turn, depresses the unactuated piston. This causes a vacuum inside the chamber to be created which allows the product to flow into the chamber on the upstroke. Once primed, the pump is sealed and the product is dispensed with each subsequent actuation.
It has been found, however, when this low pressure finger-actuated pump is employed with the formulations detailed in these two prior art patents, a ragged, intermittent spray is achieved which is incapable of providing the desired, uniform distribution of the product in the can for its use. As a result, the prior art teaching found in these patents is incapable of providing a cooking and release distribution system which effectively meets the industry needs.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a dispersion system which is capable of delivering oil-based products in a wide, consistent, uniform dispersion spray pattern.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion system for oil-based products having the characteristic features described above which is particularly suited for use in food-related areas and is particularly useful in providing a commercially acceptable non-stick cooking release spray system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion system for oil-based products having the characteristic features described above which is capable of being formulated into a variety of alternate embodiments to attain a wide range of alternate products for delivering uniform dispersed spray patterns usable on salads, bread, popcorn, cooking, and the like.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion system having the characteristic features described above which is also capable of being formulated to provide sprayable flavor enhancing products for use with pet foods or in dispensing a food attracting odor to a desired substrate.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.